Back to News & Resources overview
News 21 December 2021

Adaptation Policy Brief proposes R&I challenges to address the impacts of a warmer climate

The latest Policy Brief looks at the "Adaptation Strategy" revamp, updating the 2013 Climate Change Adaptation Strategy. The document is published as part of a series of papers identifying concrete Research and Innovation (R&I) challenges in the most recent EU policies. The Brief presents the main provisions of the EU Commission’s communication, followed by a broader analysis of the main challenges for energy research in the coming years. Adaptation is a complex issue, that will impact the energy system in many different ways. The Adaptation Strategy should then be a guidebook on where to act fast, in order to avoid the most prominent negative effects of a changing climate.

The Policy Brief tries to translate adaptation into concrete R&I challenges for the energy sector, exploring the main possible impacts on the system. Technology developments will be key in fighting adaptation effects, but as temperatures rise the stress put on the system will also touch open non-technological areas, creating cross-cutting issues that will need more research efforts.

Some of the key challenges identified are:

  • New assessments of plants stability and waterflow modelling
  • New environmental studies tackling the main impact of increased streamflow on river and dam ecosystems
  • Improving dry cooling technologies and decreasing water input in energy processes
  • Design of integrated and stable energy networks throughout the continent
  • New efficiency standards to reduce the load on the transmission lines, augmented network capacity, increased energy storage technology and introduction of more water-saving technologies in the energy mix

Access the previously published policy briefs here.